Top Mob: A History of New Orleans Graffiti

From the Caves of Lascaux to the Subway tunnels of New York City, graffiti remains the oldest form of art known to man. In New Orleans during the early 1980s, graffiti writers emerged onto the scene and created a style and influence that would continue over three decades. Often the subject of controversy, graffiti draws attention to urban blight and gentrification, the line between creation and destruction, and the social conditions that allow and encourage this subversive life-style. Over the years graffiti has evolved from a purely street level rebellion to a multi-million dollar business, attracting a new generation of “street artists” and thus changing the perception of where graffiti culture comes from. This exhibition is a visual and historical retelling of the evolution of New Orleans graffiti by the ones who were there when it started and those who have kept it alive.

Exhibition overview from museum website